BACKSTITCHING. Taking a few backward stitches at the beginning and end of your stitching line prevents the stitches from pulling out. The method for backstitching varies with each sewing machine. You may need to lift and hold your stitch length lever, push in and hold a button, or simply touch an icon. Check your owner’s manual.
BASTE. Long, easy-to-remove stitches are sewn into the fabric temporarily, either by hand or by machine. Hand-basting stitches are used to hold layers of fabric and batting together for quilting. Machine-basting stitches are used to close a seam before inserting a zipper. They are also used to gather a section of fabric into a smaller space.
BIAS. Any diagonal line intersecting the lengthwise and crosswise grains of fabric is referred to as bias. While woven fabric does not stretch on the lengthwise and crosswise grains, it has considerable stretch on the bias.
CASING. A fabric tunnel is sewn into the garment, often at the waistline, to carry elastic or cording.
CLIP. Small, closely spaced cuts are made into the seam allowances of a garment or other project, usually along a curve or into a corner. When the item is turned right side out, the seam allowances can spread apart and lie flat where they have been clipped. Small clips are also used for marking the location of notches or dots from the pattern.
COURSES. Corresponding to the crosswise grain of a woven fabric, the courses of a knit fabric run perpendicular to the selvages and ribs. Knit fabrics are most stretchy in the direction of the courses.
CROSSWISE GRAIN. on woven fabric, the crosswise grain runs perpendicular to the selvages. Fabric has slight “give” in the crosswise grain.
DROP LENGTH is the length of a tablecloth from the edge of the table to the edge of the cloth. It can be anywhere from 6" (15 cm) to floor-length.
DROP-SHOULDER. This garment design feature means that the seam joining the sleeve to the front and back is intended to fall down off the edge of the shoulder, rather than align to the shoulder crest. Drop-shoulder styles are relaxed, less fitted, and generally have more room in the armhole.
EASE refers to the amount of space built into a pattern beyond the actual body measurements.
EDGESTITCH. With the machine set for straight stitching at a length of 2 to 2.5 mm or 10 stitches per inch, stitch within 1/8" (3 mm) of a finished edge. With many machines, this can be achieved by guiding the inner edge of the right presser foot toe along the outer finished edge.
FACING. A fabric extension or addition that is sewn as a backing to another piece protects raw edges or seam allowances from raveling and gives the item a neat, finished appearance. For instance, a jacket front and neckline have an outer layer and an underlayer, or facing.
GATHER. Two rows of long machine stitches are sewn along a seamline. When the bobbin threads are pulled, the fabric slides along the threads into tiny tucks. Gathers are used to fit a wide garment section to a narrower section while at the same time adding shaping.
GRADING. Seam allowances on faced edges are trimmed to graduated widths to eliminate a bulky ridge. Often the garment seam allowance is trimmed to 1/4" (6 mm) and the facing seam allowance is trimmed to 1/8" (3 mm).
HEMMING. The outer edge of a project is given a neat finished appearance by turning under and securing the raw edge in one of several methods.
LENGTHWISE GRAIN. On woven fabric, the lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvages. Fabrics are generally stronger and more stable along the lengthwise grain.
MARK. It is often necessary to give yourself temporary guidelines or guide points on the fabric for cutting, stitching, or matching seams. There are many tools and methods for doing this, such as marking pencils and pens, chalk dispensers, tape, or pins.
MITER. Excess fabric is folded out at an angle to eliminate bulk. You probably miter the corners when you wrap gifts.
NAP. Some fabrics have definite up and down directions, either because of a surface pile, like corduroy or velveteen, or because of a one-way print. When laying out a pattern on napped fabric, cut all the pieces with the top edges facing the same direction.
NONDIRECTIONAL PRINT. The design printed on this fabric has no definite up and down directions, and pattern pieces can be laid out with the top edges facing in either direction.
PATCH POCKETS. one of the easiest pocket styles to sew, these are sewn to the outer surface of the garment like a patch.
PIVOT. Perfect corners are stitched by stopping with the needle down in the fabric at the exact corner before turning. To be sure the corner stitch locks, turn the hand-wheel until the needle goes all the way down and just begins to rise. Then raise the presser foot, turn the fabric, lower the presser foot, and continue stitching.
PRESHRINK. Fabric that shrinks, especially natural fibers, shrinks most in the first laundering. If you intend to launder your finished item occasionally, you should wash the fabric before cutting out the pieces, so the item will not shrink after you make it. Dry clean only fabrics can be preshrunk by steaming them with your iron.
PRESS. This step is extremely important to the success of your sewing projects. Select the heat setting appropriate for your fabric, and use steam. Lift and lower the iron in an overlapping pattern. Do not slide the iron down the seam, as this can cause the fabric to stretch out of shape, especially on the crosswise grain or bias.
RIBBING is a very stretchy knit fabric, usually with pronounced ridges. It is especially suitable for necks and cuffs on knit garments, since it can easily stretch to go over heads and hands, yet spring back into shape once in place. Most ribbing comes in much narrower widths than other fabrics and, because you use less of it, it is often sold by the inch (centimeter) rather than the yard (meter).
RIBS. Corresponding to the lengthwise grain in woven fabric, the ribs of a knit fabric run parallel to the selvages (if there are any). Knits are usually most stable in the rib direction.
SEAM. Two pieces of fabric are placed right sides together and joined along the edge with stitches. After stitching, the raw edges are hidden on the wrong side, leaving a clean, smooth line on the right side.
SEAM ALLOWANCE. Narrow excess fabric lies between the stitching line and the raw edges. The standard seam allowance width for woven-fabric garment sewing is 5/8" (1.5 cm); the standard width for knit-fabric garments is 1/4" (6 mm); the standard width for home décor sewing is 1/2" (1.3 cm). The seam allowance gives the seam strength and ensures that the stitches cannot be pulled off the raw edges.
SEAM ALLOWANCE GUIDE. Most machines have a series of lines on the throat plate. These lines mark the distance from the needle (where a standard straight stitch seam would be) to the cut edges. Measure these lines on your machine to determine where the edge of your fabric should be for the width seam you are stitching.
SEAM RIPPER. It doesn’t really rip. Use the sharp point to slide under and cut stitches one at a time. Avoid the temptation to simply slide the cutting hook down the seam. You will inevitably cut into your fabric. Even the most experienced sewers rely on their seam rippers.
SELVAGES. Characteristic of woven fabrics, this narrow, tightly woven outer edge should be cut away. Avoid the temptation to use it as one side of a cut piece, as it may cause the seam to pucker and may shrink excessively when laundered.
TACKING. Short stationary stitches, sewn by hand or by machine, hold two or more pieces of fabric together a little less conspicuously then a row of stitches.
THREAD JAM. The threads become tangled up in a wad on the underside of the fabric and the machine gets stuck. The best way to prevent a thread jam is to hold both top and bottom thread tails to the back or side of the presser foot until completing the first few stitches of a seam. If a thread jam happens, DON’T USE FORCE! Remove the presser foot, if you can. Snip all the threads you can get at from the top of the throat plate. Open the bobbin case door or throat plate, and snip any threads you can get at. Remove the bobbin, if you can. Gently remove the fabric. Thoroughly clean out the feed dog and bobbin area before reinserting the bobbin and starting over.
TOPSTITCHING is a decorative and functional stitching line placed 1/4" to 1" (6 mm to 2.5 cm) from the finished edge of an item. The stitching is done with the right side of the item facing up. Sometimes topstitching is done with a heavier thread or two threads through the machine needle, to make it more visible.
UNDERSTITCHING is straight stitching very close to the seamline that connects a facing to the garment, and it keeps the facing from rolling to the outside of the garment. After the seam allowances are trimmed, clipped, and pressed toward the facing, stitch from the right side of the facing.